Analyte testing devices play a critical roll in modern diagnosis and management of health-related issues. For example, a sample of human blood, urine, and/or saliva can be tested for glucose, fructosamine, hematocrit, hemoglobin blood oxygen saturation, lactates, iron, pH, cholesterol, liver enzymes (AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase/GGT, LDH, bilirubin, etc), hormones, and other compounds.
For many diabetic patients, monitoring glucose levels is inconvenient and uncomfortable, since it requires repeatedly pricking the finger or some other body member in order to draw a blood sample. It would be advantageous to maximize the utility of a blood sample by collecting more than one kind of health data using the same meter, and even more preferably from the same “stick”. For example, while a diabetes patient is primarily concerned with monitoring glucose levels, it would be advantageous for diabetic patients to simultaneously, or in close time proximity, collect pH, iron, fructosamine or other health data. Such additional health data can be used as a baseline for later medical reference, or alternatively, for proactively monitoring for other potential health problems.
Several known references are directed at a single test unit that simultaneously tests for two or more analytes. For example, each of U.S. Pat. No. 7,955,791 (Dinello), US20110124130 (Wagner), and US2010/0312137 (Gilmour) disclose test strips that test for two or more analytes using one strip. However, none of those references teach a cartridge (i.e., a magazine, cassette or other housing or enclosure) for holding two or more non-fungible test units.
US 2007/0007183 to Schulat discloses a magazine that holds a plurality of test units for measuring analytes like glucose. However, Schulat fails to contemplate that a magazine can hold test units that test for different analytes.
US 2010/0151488 to Smith discloses a test unit (referred to as a cassette) that has two test spots, i.e., two analyte sensors. One is for measuring glycated albumin, and the other is for measuring total albumin (for diabetes management). Smith, however, still does not contemplate a cassette that carries two or more different types of test units (i.e., non-fungible test units).
Thus, while known prior art has appreciated the advantages of a test unit that tests for two or more analytes, the known prior art has failed to provide a cartridge for holding a plurality of test units, wherein at least two of the test units are non-fungible (e.g., a first test unit configured to detect a first analyte and a second test unit configured to test a second analyte that is different from the first analyte). It would therefore be advantageous to provide a cartridge that includes different test units for detecting different analytes. For example, an inventive cartridge holding twenty separate test units could include glucose-detecting analyte sensors on every test unit, and fructosamine-detecting analyte sensors on every fifth test unit (i.e., every fifth test unit has two analyte sensors). Furthermore, it would be advantageous for that device to automatically store and monitor both glucose and fructosamine levels. In this manner, a diabetic patient primarily concerned with glucose levels could simultaneously collect other important health data, thus maximizing the utility of each blood sample.
Thus, there is still a need for test unit cartridges that include non-fungible test units.